Calendar sales curb team expenses

The cover of the CC club soccer team’s 2006 wall calendar.

Grin and bare it.

That’s what the members of the Connecticut College club soccer team did when they posed for a series of photos wearing nothing but cleats and knee-high socks — while holding strategically placed soccer balls or signs — for a 2006 wall calendar. Players posed in various locations around the campus, including the Arboretum.

The team is selling copies of the calendar to raise money for expenses not covered in their budget. Many CC teams and clubs sponsor fundraisers, but the soccer team’s is one of the more unusual. Other teams sell neckties or t-shirts to supplement their budget.

“Every picture involved checking each way more than once before we disrobed for our shots,” explained team co-captain Sam Gould ’06.  “It was actually a lot of fun, a great club bonding moment.”

Copies of the 12-month calendar, considered risqué by some and a good laugh by others, went on sale at Harvestfest during Fall Weekend. They are being sold in the Connecticut College Bookshop and via special orders.

The team has a limited budget through the Student Government Association, but needs additional funding in order to compete against other schools. To date, the team has sold 225 calendars. The funds garnered from sales support tournament and hotel fees for away matches and the purchase of equipment and uniforms.

The co-ed team carries a roster of more than 40 players. They play a competitive schedule against other colleges and universities in the northeast throughout the academic year and currently post a 5-3-3 record.

The team planned their fundraising strategy around Harvestfest, an outdoor event where many campus clubs and dorms sell products to raise money. Co-captain Ken Brown ’06 crocheted 60 winter hats to bring in some money, and the team worked on the calendar, Gould’s idea from the year before.

“We originally expected to have members of the team and their relatives buy the calendar this year, but we have had an overwhelming number of friends, parents of friends, and mothers of students who we don’t know so well buy it,” Gould joked. “We all share a laugh, customer included, when we sell a calendar.”

Perhaps the greatest reaction came from Gould’s grandmother, one of several relatives he purchased a copy for during the holidays.

“She gave a yelp as she flipped through from the cover to the first semi-nude picture,” he said. “A few minutes later she asked for two more copies to give to her friends.”

Calendars cost $10 each. Send cash or a check made out to the Connecticut College Football Club to: Sam Gould ’06, 270 Mohegan Ave., Box 3833 , New London , CT 06320 and include the address you would like your order sent to. A discounted rate will apply for large orders. Contact Sam Gould ’06 at sjgou@conncoll.edu or 860-439-4350 for details.